PLACES: IMPERIAL PALACE HUE

CITY IN A CITY

Like there are smaller cities hidden in a huge metropolis, you can find a hidden ancient city in Hue. The imperial palace is actually a small-replica of the forbidden city in Beijing, China. Wander the endless hallway of red pillars and imagine the prosperity that Hue was in back in the day…

Why the Citadel (aka the Imperial Palace) is worth a visit? To be honest, I asked myself that same question a few times before entering the popular sight as well. The city Hue itself isn’t really a must see location… and after a few visits to Asia, you know what the architecture looks like and you’ve seen quite a few gardens and ponds too. So why visit? Well, you will see many decorated arches and a lot of red. But we did find out something interesting that day.

WHY VISIT THE IMPERIAL PALACE HUE

Let your imagination help you a bit; When you walk the emperor’s path to the throne, try to imagine all the corulers standing right and left welcoming you. Make a walk through the endless hallway of red pillars and side doors, as this was the emperor’s daily walk to his chamber after a day of work. A fun fact: The citadel is designed in perfect harmony towards the emperor’s (first) wife and his mother. His own home is situated centred between the two… Need I say more?

As religious and superstitious as asians can be, there must be a meaning in everything. But I couldn’t figure this one out during our visit at the imperial palace in Hue… Every arch has a globe on top of it in coloured glass. The sun has a perfect position for every arch, so it’s globe will catch the sun and reflects a ray of colored light. I’m still not sure what this means exactly… or if it means anything at all..(please comment if you do!)